Application for Reality Shifted
Character: Genjyo Sanzo
Series/Fandom: Saiyuki
Deviance: Deviance 1, main canon
Age: 24
Gender: male
Species: human
Canon Used: I tend to stick to manga canon primarily, but I don't have a problem with incorporating anime canon when it doesn't contradict the manga. For example, the Homura arc only appears in the anime, so I wouldn't mind including it in my canon for Sanzo. However, the Hazel arc of the Gunlock anime would not work, since it's significantly different from the manga.
Appearance:
I guess the main thing to point out is that he's usually wearing the formal robes of a Buddhist priest, and he wears the Maten Sutra around his shoulders. His other distinguishing feature is that he has purple eyes.
He also has a crown, but he only wears that on formal occasions. Or if he needs to look impressive.
Psychology: Sanzo is not your average priest. He smokes, drinks, swears, and kills both humans and demons. He has a nasty temper, doesn't like to be around people, and doesn't even consider himself to be much of a Buddhist. Being a Sanzo priest means one thing to him - living up to the memory of his father-figure, Koumyou Sanzo. When people ask him to recite sutras or preach about Buddhism, he will almost always refuse. If he agrees, it's probably because he's about to use the opportunity to make a point about something the requestor didn't consider. His idea of a motivational speech is a metaphorical kick in the ass. (Sometimes a literal one too.)
He can be polite if he wants to, but usually he considers politeness to be a waste of time, and he doesn't have a lot of patience. He carries a gun and doesn't hesitate to shoot at people who annoy him. He keeps his distance from others, and is reluctant to admit that he cares about his friends, or even admit that they are his friends.
On the other hand, Sanzo has a strong sense of justice, and he will often defend those who are unable to defend themselves. (Of course he'll probably complain about having to do it.) He's usually very serious, but he does have a sense of humor, it's just well-hidden. He's not completely heartless, but he'd like people to think he is.
Most of Sanzo's aloofness can be traced back to his childhood. He knows he was abandoned as a baby, but he doesn't know why. The man that raised him was taken away from him by a violent death. Sanzo then spent years on his own at a fairly young age. In Sanzo's mind, the only person he can count on is himself. He's slowly learning that he can depend on his closest friends, but he doesn't want to admit that he needs them.
Other Skills/Abilities: He has some martial arts ability. He carries a S&W revolver and is an expert shot with it. His main weapon is the Maten Sutra. The sutra has the power to "break the darkness", which seems to mean it can destroy enemies and disrupt magic. Sanzo also has some ability to sense the presence of others, as well as their emotions and motivations. He apparently has hammerspace in his sleeves, since he carries a huge paper fan and an endless supply of bullets in there (among other things).
Other Weaknesses: His strength and stamina are that of a normal human.
History:
The boy who would become Genjyo Sanzo was abandoned shortly after his birth, and his family history is unknown. He was found floating in a river by a Buddhist priest named Koumyou Sanzo. Koumyou took the baby back to Kinzan temple, and gave him the name Kouryuu. Koumyou's title of 'Sanzo' was that of the highest rank of Buddhist priest, and was only given to those who carried one of the five scriptures that were used in the creation of heaven and earth. These sutras held great power, and were only entrusted to those who could guard them and use them well. Koumyou actually carried two of the sutras, the Seiten Sutra and the Maten Sutra.
Kouryuu grew up among the monks, and performed the typical chores of an acolyte, although he expressed no particular interest in becoming a monk. He looked up to Koumyou like a father. The other monks were somewhat jealous of the fact that Kouryuu was Koumyou's favorite, and also the fact that even at a young age, Kouryuu's Buddhist powers were more advanced than theirs.
When Kouryuu was twelve, he was summoned to Koumyou's rooms. Koumyou told him that he had decided to make him the guardian of the Maten Sutra, thereby making him a Sanzo priest. Kouryuu protested that he was too young, but Koumyou just smiled and told him that he knew he would be strong enough. He gave Kouryuu the Buddist name 'Genjyo'.
Unfortunately at that moment, several youkai (a race often compared to demons or monsters) burst into Koumyou's room. Koumyou shielded Kouryuu from them, and was brutally killed in front of the boy. The youkai took the Seiten Sutra, but didn't find the Maten Sutra. The next morning, Kouryuu announced his new title to the astonished monks. He also swore to hunt down the youkai and get back the Seiten Sutra. Genjyo Sanzo left the temple that day, and spent the next four years wandering alone in search of the sutra. It was a hard and dangerous life, and it forced Sanzo to grow up fast.
After four years, he traveled to Keiunin Temple in Chang'An, hoping that the Three Aspects of Buddha could give him a lead on the missing Sutra. Although they didn't have any information for him, they agreed to help him, provided he stayed at the temple as the head priest until there was a new lead. The other monks weren't too pleased about having a sixteen year old high priest, but Sanzo just told them if they didn't like it, they could take it up with the Three Aspects.
A few years later, Sanzo started hearing a voice in his head. It got so annoying that he went to find the person doing it. After climbing a mountain, he found a boy in a cave sealed by various talismans. Sanzo freed him from the cave and told him to shut the hell up. When he left, the boy followed him, telling him that his name was Son Goku, that he'd been in the cave for many years, and he was hungry. Sanzo reluctantly took him back to the temple and became Goku's guardian.
Every now and then the Three Aspects would send Sanzo on various assignments. One of those assignments was to track down a man named Cho Gonou who had just murdered an entire clan of youkai. Sanzo caught up with Gonou at the house of Sha Gojyo, a half-human, half-youkai who had found and taken in the seriously wounded Gonou, but had no knowledge of what Gonou had done. Eventually Sanzo took Gonou back to Chang'An to be judged for his crimes. For reasons known only to himself, Sanzo pledged to take responsibility for Gonou's future behavior. The Three Aspects agreed with this condition, and declared that Cho Gonou would start a new life as Cho Hakkai.
Hakkai went back to live with Gojyo, and they both worked occasional odd jobs for Sanzo. And that's how things went for a few years, until a youkai concubine in India decided to resurrect her dead youkai king using human science combined with youkai magic. The combination of science and magic caused a "Minus Wave" to spread out from India, driving the youkai insane and causing them to kill humans indiscriminately.
The Three Aspects called for Sanzo and told him that he needed to go to India to stop the Minus Wave. They also told him that whoever was causing the wave just happened to have the Seiten Sutra that he had been searching for. With that as incentive, Sanzo quickly agreed. But the Three Aspects had one further command. They told Sanzo he needed to take Son Goku, Cho Hakkai, and Sha Gojyo with him on his journey West. Sanzo grudgingly agreed to this too.
And so the epic Journey to the West began. Along the way they had various adventures, met up with good guys and bad guys (and some who were both), confronted people and memories from their pasts, and drove each other crazy on the longest road trip ever. They were frequently attacked by youkai, first because the youkai wanted to stop their mission, and later because they wanted Sanzo's Maten Sutra to help the revival experiments.
After a year or so on the road, they met up with a young man named Hazel, a bishop from a far away country with the power to revive the dead. Hazel took an immediate interest in Sanzo, much to Sanzo's dismay. Sanzo and his group wanted nothing to do with Hazel, but Hazel kept following them anyway. He often asked Sanzo to team up with him, and kept asking no matter how many times Sanzo said no.
One night, Sanzo and Goku were standing outside talking when dozens of deep cuts suddenly appeared all over Goku. Sanzo was frozen with shock for a moment, then he started looking for the attacker. He didn't see anyone, but he felt an evil presence, that of a heretical Sanzo priest, Ukoku, he had met once at Kinzan temple when Koumyou was still alive. Hakkai and Gojyo arrived, and Sanzo abruptly left the gravely wounded Goku with them to chase after the presence he'd felt. He couldn't find Ukoku. He returned to find that Hakkai had saved Goku's life, but at great cost to himself, and that Gojyo was furious at him for running off like that.
Based on something Hazel said, Sanzo guessed that Hazel also knew Ukoku. He decided that Hazel might be useful after all, if he could lead him to Ukoku. Sanzo left with Hazel, leaving Goku, Hakkai, and Gojyo on their own.
Current Story Point: I'll be taking him from the end of volume 8 of Saiyuki Reload manga, which is not long after he separates from the rest of his group to go with Hazel, and Hazel's bodyguard, Gat. They're still traveling in a generally westward direction.
Reality Description: The story takes place as they are traveling through China on the way to India. The time period is deliberately vague. It looks like it takes place in the past, except they drive around in a Jeep and pay for things with a credit card. Sometimes you see a television or a phone or a computer in the background. Most of the time though, it's small villages and rural towns, with the occasional larger town. Even the largest city seems pre-industrial though. Definitely no skyscrapers or airplanes.
The humans share this world with the youkai (sometimes called demons). The youkai are very similar to humans. Their main distinguishing feature is that the youkai have large, pointed ears. They also use magic instead of science, which is the opposite of the humans.
It's always been a shaky relationship between the two races, with prejudice on both sides, but things are much worse now because of the Minus Wave. The wave has been spreading out over China from India for over a year now, and the effect on the youkai is only getting worse. Some youkai it drives insane. Some are complelled to attack humans or hunt them like prey. Others seem perfectly normal, but they consider humans to be an acceptable food source. Very few youkai are unaffected. Usually only the very strong willed or the very young.
And of course the humans absolutely distrust the youkai now, with some going as far as "the only good youkai is a dead youkai".
First Person Speaking Sample: Note: Sanzo is not the type to talk to himself out loud, so this would all be inner monologue.
Where the hell am I? Dammit, I knew there was something suspicious about those twins and that shop. I didn't expect something like this though. Is this some kind of youkai trick?
Well, the first youkai to show his face is going to get it shot off.
No apparent exits. For that matter, no apparent entrance. How the hell did they get me here?
I wonder if that idiot bishop has even noticed I'm gone yet? Actually I'm surprised he didn't get caught up in this too...whatever this is.
One thing at a time. First find a way out, then find out who did this and beat the shit out of them.
Third Person Writing Sample:
This was completely ridiculous.
All he'd wanted was a new pack of cigarettes, and maybe a bottle of sake. That's all. He could have guessed that Gojyo was still in the bar, but that was none of his concern, as long as the kappa was awake and ready to leave in the morning.
Instead he'd walked into a bar fight, and been hit by one of the participants being tossed across the room. They'd both gone down in a heap, and Sanzo's vision was currently obscured by a very familiar head of red hair.
"Get the hell off me, asshole," he growled, pushing at Gojyo until he rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, he didn't show any signs of being able to get up any time soon. He gave Sanzo a sloppy grin that meant he was probably completely plastered. The effect wasn't enhanced by the blood on his mouth or the incipient black eye.
Sanzo got to his feet and dusted off his robes, assessing the situation. There was a very angry man standing in the middle of the room with his fists clenched. Behind him was a very apprehensive woman. The rest of the room was filled with the usual bar patrons, who obviously considered this the evening's entertainment.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.
"Is he a friend of yours?" the man asked, indicating the fallen Gojyo.
Sanzo snorted. "No."
The man laughed smugly. "Then you won't mind if we beat the crap out of him."
He took two steps forward, and then stopped at the sight of Sanzo's gun.
"He's not a friend of mine, but unfortunately for me, he is my responsibility. So why don't you just back the fuck off."
Sanzo heard some muttering from the witnesses, but he didn't move his attention from the man in front of him.
"He hit on my girl!"
"Then she's probably lucky she's going to escape his further attentions," Sanzo commented dryly, ignoring the faint 'Hey...' from behind him.
The man looked uncertain now. Possibly the sight of a monk brandishing a gun was confusing him. It sometimes had that effect on people, which was an advantage Sanzo used as often as possible. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed the girl by the arm and hauled her out of the bar. The rest of the patrons went back to their drinks.
Sanzo looked down at Gojyo again. "I should just shoot you myself, you perverted kappa."
Gojyo just gave him a lopsided grin. "Hakkai's gonna be pissed if he has to take another one of your bullets outta me," he slurred.
Sanzo aimed the gun at him anyway...and then sighed and put it away. He reached down and hauled Gojyo up by the arm, none too gently. "Come on, idiot."
Series/Fandom: Saiyuki
Deviance: Deviance 1, main canon
Age: 24
Gender: male
Species: human
Canon Used: I tend to stick to manga canon primarily, but I don't have a problem with incorporating anime canon when it doesn't contradict the manga. For example, the Homura arc only appears in the anime, so I wouldn't mind including it in my canon for Sanzo. However, the Hazel arc of the Gunlock anime would not work, since it's significantly different from the manga.
Appearance:
I guess the main thing to point out is that he's usually wearing the formal robes of a Buddhist priest, and he wears the Maten Sutra around his shoulders. His other distinguishing feature is that he has purple eyes.
He also has a crown, but he only wears that on formal occasions. Or if he needs to look impressive.
Psychology: Sanzo is not your average priest. He smokes, drinks, swears, and kills both humans and demons. He has a nasty temper, doesn't like to be around people, and doesn't even consider himself to be much of a Buddhist. Being a Sanzo priest means one thing to him - living up to the memory of his father-figure, Koumyou Sanzo. When people ask him to recite sutras or preach about Buddhism, he will almost always refuse. If he agrees, it's probably because he's about to use the opportunity to make a point about something the requestor didn't consider. His idea of a motivational speech is a metaphorical kick in the ass. (Sometimes a literal one too.)
He can be polite if he wants to, but usually he considers politeness to be a waste of time, and he doesn't have a lot of patience. He carries a gun and doesn't hesitate to shoot at people who annoy him. He keeps his distance from others, and is reluctant to admit that he cares about his friends, or even admit that they are his friends.
On the other hand, Sanzo has a strong sense of justice, and he will often defend those who are unable to defend themselves. (Of course he'll probably complain about having to do it.) He's usually very serious, but he does have a sense of humor, it's just well-hidden. He's not completely heartless, but he'd like people to think he is.
Most of Sanzo's aloofness can be traced back to his childhood. He knows he was abandoned as a baby, but he doesn't know why. The man that raised him was taken away from him by a violent death. Sanzo then spent years on his own at a fairly young age. In Sanzo's mind, the only person he can count on is himself. He's slowly learning that he can depend on his closest friends, but he doesn't want to admit that he needs them.
Other Skills/Abilities: He has some martial arts ability. He carries a S&W revolver and is an expert shot with it. His main weapon is the Maten Sutra. The sutra has the power to "break the darkness", which seems to mean it can destroy enemies and disrupt magic. Sanzo also has some ability to sense the presence of others, as well as their emotions and motivations. He apparently has hammerspace in his sleeves, since he carries a huge paper fan and an endless supply of bullets in there (among other things).
Other Weaknesses: His strength and stamina are that of a normal human.
History:
The boy who would become Genjyo Sanzo was abandoned shortly after his birth, and his family history is unknown. He was found floating in a river by a Buddhist priest named Koumyou Sanzo. Koumyou took the baby back to Kinzan temple, and gave him the name Kouryuu. Koumyou's title of 'Sanzo' was that of the highest rank of Buddhist priest, and was only given to those who carried one of the five scriptures that were used in the creation of heaven and earth. These sutras held great power, and were only entrusted to those who could guard them and use them well. Koumyou actually carried two of the sutras, the Seiten Sutra and the Maten Sutra.
Kouryuu grew up among the monks, and performed the typical chores of an acolyte, although he expressed no particular interest in becoming a monk. He looked up to Koumyou like a father. The other monks were somewhat jealous of the fact that Kouryuu was Koumyou's favorite, and also the fact that even at a young age, Kouryuu's Buddhist powers were more advanced than theirs.
When Kouryuu was twelve, he was summoned to Koumyou's rooms. Koumyou told him that he had decided to make him the guardian of the Maten Sutra, thereby making him a Sanzo priest. Kouryuu protested that he was too young, but Koumyou just smiled and told him that he knew he would be strong enough. He gave Kouryuu the Buddist name 'Genjyo'.
Unfortunately at that moment, several youkai (a race often compared to demons or monsters) burst into Koumyou's room. Koumyou shielded Kouryuu from them, and was brutally killed in front of the boy. The youkai took the Seiten Sutra, but didn't find the Maten Sutra. The next morning, Kouryuu announced his new title to the astonished monks. He also swore to hunt down the youkai and get back the Seiten Sutra. Genjyo Sanzo left the temple that day, and spent the next four years wandering alone in search of the sutra. It was a hard and dangerous life, and it forced Sanzo to grow up fast.
After four years, he traveled to Keiunin Temple in Chang'An, hoping that the Three Aspects of Buddha could give him a lead on the missing Sutra. Although they didn't have any information for him, they agreed to help him, provided he stayed at the temple as the head priest until there was a new lead. The other monks weren't too pleased about having a sixteen year old high priest, but Sanzo just told them if they didn't like it, they could take it up with the Three Aspects.
A few years later, Sanzo started hearing a voice in his head. It got so annoying that he went to find the person doing it. After climbing a mountain, he found a boy in a cave sealed by various talismans. Sanzo freed him from the cave and told him to shut the hell up. When he left, the boy followed him, telling him that his name was Son Goku, that he'd been in the cave for many years, and he was hungry. Sanzo reluctantly took him back to the temple and became Goku's guardian.
Every now and then the Three Aspects would send Sanzo on various assignments. One of those assignments was to track down a man named Cho Gonou who had just murdered an entire clan of youkai. Sanzo caught up with Gonou at the house of Sha Gojyo, a half-human, half-youkai who had found and taken in the seriously wounded Gonou, but had no knowledge of what Gonou had done. Eventually Sanzo took Gonou back to Chang'An to be judged for his crimes. For reasons known only to himself, Sanzo pledged to take responsibility for Gonou's future behavior. The Three Aspects agreed with this condition, and declared that Cho Gonou would start a new life as Cho Hakkai.
Hakkai went back to live with Gojyo, and they both worked occasional odd jobs for Sanzo. And that's how things went for a few years, until a youkai concubine in India decided to resurrect her dead youkai king using human science combined with youkai magic. The combination of science and magic caused a "Minus Wave" to spread out from India, driving the youkai insane and causing them to kill humans indiscriminately.
The Three Aspects called for Sanzo and told him that he needed to go to India to stop the Minus Wave. They also told him that whoever was causing the wave just happened to have the Seiten Sutra that he had been searching for. With that as incentive, Sanzo quickly agreed. But the Three Aspects had one further command. They told Sanzo he needed to take Son Goku, Cho Hakkai, and Sha Gojyo with him on his journey West. Sanzo grudgingly agreed to this too.
And so the epic Journey to the West began. Along the way they had various adventures, met up with good guys and bad guys (and some who were both), confronted people and memories from their pasts, and drove each other crazy on the longest road trip ever. They were frequently attacked by youkai, first because the youkai wanted to stop their mission, and later because they wanted Sanzo's Maten Sutra to help the revival experiments.
After a year or so on the road, they met up with a young man named Hazel, a bishop from a far away country with the power to revive the dead. Hazel took an immediate interest in Sanzo, much to Sanzo's dismay. Sanzo and his group wanted nothing to do with Hazel, but Hazel kept following them anyway. He often asked Sanzo to team up with him, and kept asking no matter how many times Sanzo said no.
One night, Sanzo and Goku were standing outside talking when dozens of deep cuts suddenly appeared all over Goku. Sanzo was frozen with shock for a moment, then he started looking for the attacker. He didn't see anyone, but he felt an evil presence, that of a heretical Sanzo priest, Ukoku, he had met once at Kinzan temple when Koumyou was still alive. Hakkai and Gojyo arrived, and Sanzo abruptly left the gravely wounded Goku with them to chase after the presence he'd felt. He couldn't find Ukoku. He returned to find that Hakkai had saved Goku's life, but at great cost to himself, and that Gojyo was furious at him for running off like that.
Based on something Hazel said, Sanzo guessed that Hazel also knew Ukoku. He decided that Hazel might be useful after all, if he could lead him to Ukoku. Sanzo left with Hazel, leaving Goku, Hakkai, and Gojyo on their own.
Current Story Point: I'll be taking him from the end of volume 8 of Saiyuki Reload manga, which is not long after he separates from the rest of his group to go with Hazel, and Hazel's bodyguard, Gat. They're still traveling in a generally westward direction.
Reality Description: The story takes place as they are traveling through China on the way to India. The time period is deliberately vague. It looks like it takes place in the past, except they drive around in a Jeep and pay for things with a credit card. Sometimes you see a television or a phone or a computer in the background. Most of the time though, it's small villages and rural towns, with the occasional larger town. Even the largest city seems pre-industrial though. Definitely no skyscrapers or airplanes.
The humans share this world with the youkai (sometimes called demons). The youkai are very similar to humans. Their main distinguishing feature is that the youkai have large, pointed ears. They also use magic instead of science, which is the opposite of the humans.
It's always been a shaky relationship between the two races, with prejudice on both sides, but things are much worse now because of the Minus Wave. The wave has been spreading out over China from India for over a year now, and the effect on the youkai is only getting worse. Some youkai it drives insane. Some are complelled to attack humans or hunt them like prey. Others seem perfectly normal, but they consider humans to be an acceptable food source. Very few youkai are unaffected. Usually only the very strong willed or the very young.
And of course the humans absolutely distrust the youkai now, with some going as far as "the only good youkai is a dead youkai".
First Person Speaking Sample: Note: Sanzo is not the type to talk to himself out loud, so this would all be inner monologue.
Where the hell am I? Dammit, I knew there was something suspicious about those twins and that shop. I didn't expect something like this though. Is this some kind of youkai trick?
Well, the first youkai to show his face is going to get it shot off.
No apparent exits. For that matter, no apparent entrance. How the hell did they get me here?
I wonder if that idiot bishop has even noticed I'm gone yet? Actually I'm surprised he didn't get caught up in this too...whatever this is.
One thing at a time. First find a way out, then find out who did this and beat the shit out of them.
Third Person Writing Sample:
This was completely ridiculous.
All he'd wanted was a new pack of cigarettes, and maybe a bottle of sake. That's all. He could have guessed that Gojyo was still in the bar, but that was none of his concern, as long as the kappa was awake and ready to leave in the morning.
Instead he'd walked into a bar fight, and been hit by one of the participants being tossed across the room. They'd both gone down in a heap, and Sanzo's vision was currently obscured by a very familiar head of red hair.
"Get the hell off me, asshole," he growled, pushing at Gojyo until he rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, he didn't show any signs of being able to get up any time soon. He gave Sanzo a sloppy grin that meant he was probably completely plastered. The effect wasn't enhanced by the blood on his mouth or the incipient black eye.
Sanzo got to his feet and dusted off his robes, assessing the situation. There was a very angry man standing in the middle of the room with his fists clenched. Behind him was a very apprehensive woman. The rest of the room was filled with the usual bar patrons, who obviously considered this the evening's entertainment.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.
"Is he a friend of yours?" the man asked, indicating the fallen Gojyo.
Sanzo snorted. "No."
The man laughed smugly. "Then you won't mind if we beat the crap out of him."
He took two steps forward, and then stopped at the sight of Sanzo's gun.
"He's not a friend of mine, but unfortunately for me, he is my responsibility. So why don't you just back the fuck off."
Sanzo heard some muttering from the witnesses, but he didn't move his attention from the man in front of him.
"He hit on my girl!"
"Then she's probably lucky she's going to escape his further attentions," Sanzo commented dryly, ignoring the faint 'Hey...' from behind him.
The man looked uncertain now. Possibly the sight of a monk brandishing a gun was confusing him. It sometimes had that effect on people, which was an advantage Sanzo used as often as possible. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed the girl by the arm and hauled her out of the bar. The rest of the patrons went back to their drinks.
Sanzo looked down at Gojyo again. "I should just shoot you myself, you perverted kappa."
Gojyo just gave him a lopsided grin. "Hakkai's gonna be pissed if he has to take another one of your bullets outta me," he slurred.
Sanzo aimed the gun at him anyway...and then sighed and put it away. He reached down and hauled Gojyo up by the arm, none too gently. "Come on, idiot."